Leveraging Care Economy Investments to Unlock Economic Development and Foster Women’s Economic Empowerment in G20 Economies

Women spend 3X more time than men on unpaid care work (UCW) globally, with significant differences across the G20 countries. For example, while Indian women spend about 8X more time on care work than men, women in Canada spend about 1.5X more. This gendered division of responsibilities manifests in market failures in labour markets, hinders women’s access to education, and prevents women from joining and remaining in the workforce. The G20 economies have committed to reducing gender gaps in labour markets by 25 percent by the year 2025. Recognising, reducing, and redistributing UCW and addressing gender gaps in care work is essential to facilitate women’s participation in formal labour markets. This Policy Brief presents recommendations for the G20 countries to invest in building care economies, including care leave provisions, financial incentives to employers and families, care infrastructure investments such as childcare and elderly care facilities, leveraging private-public partnerships (PPPs), and incentivising investments in community-based organisations (CBOs).